About the Author

I've written a variety of opinion pieces, essays, random thoughts, and potentially humorous stories in this blog. However, I haven't spent a whole lot of time just talking about myself.

So, without further ado:

I grew up in a small town just north of...

Ha. Just kidding. I'm not going to do that.

What I am going to do is provide you with a list of factual information.

1. I've been to Canada three times.

2. I've had poison ivy only once.

3. My co-workers have thrown me, quite literally, into a trash can.

4. I rarely sleep. One year I went to bed at 4 am and got up at 8 am every day. Now I get between 4.5-6 hours of sleep on a regular basis.

5. I know a good bit of sign language.

6. I was home schooled for 7 years.

7. I don't like PBJ sandwiches, ketchup, or iced tea.

8. Two summers ago I applied for 30 jobs before I finally got one.

9. I've never dyed my hair.

10. I grew an inch my sophomore year of college.

11. I've read at least 25 books by Ted Dekker.

12. I haven't watched an episode of a TV show in its entirety in over three months.

13. My room at home is painted bright orange.

14. I can type 70+ words per minute.

15. I have a really weird laugh. People have told me I sound like a villain who has just finished taking over the world.

So there you have it.

Today, This Hour, This Moment

Today I had the opportunity to meet a good number of the new freshmen at my University. For some reason, the idea of 300ish people that I do not know wandering around my school really bothers me. I want to meet all of them. It might take awhile, but I'll learn their names.

Anyway, I noticed a shared attitude or appearance in them, from what I could see. They all had this light in their eyes, this energy. They were perhaps a bit tentative, but they seemed pretty pumped. That's a good attitude to have. I remember very well what it was like to be a freshman. I was that kid who could never find her classes and always, always had to ask for directions. I was the kid who was just a little scared of the upperclassmen. However, I was also that freshman who was SUPER excited—about everything.

I liked meeting the freshmen last year because, besides the fact that I met a lot of awesome ones, they just have a lot of enthusiasm and are a lot of fun. I never want to lose that "hey I'm stoked about life" attitude. Sometimes when I get used to a situation or become accustomed to where I am in life, my eyes kind of glaze over, and I just kind of relax and don't do everything I'm supposed to. That's usually when I stop working as hard and having as much fun—which are two things that are included in pretty much my whole life.

I know I talk about time a lot. This post and this one are prime examples. Well, time is important to me. It's what life is. I think it's important to live life with expectations, with energy, with goals. The Bible says in Hebrews 12:1b-2a, "...Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith..."

We're to run with endurance! Yeah, sometimes life isn't as fun as we want it to be. But don't overlook the blessings; don't miss out on God's best! Keep your eyes wide open and live every moment to the best of your ability. Wake up! Don't live like you're dead. If you're still breathing, then God has a plan for you. Go find out what it is!

All that to say, that's what hanging out with the freshmen today made me think of. I want to stay stoked about life, just like most of them seem to be. I have one life to live, so I'm going to live it!

The Bridge Between Adventures

I used to think school was pretty boring and summer was pretty awesome.

Then when I went to college my first year, college, for me, became a totally epic adventure. In contrast, the three summer months after my freshman year were mundane for the most part, and I missed my college friends and wanted to go back. Plus I hated my job. I was a little sad that summer seemed to have lost its magic.

This summer, however, my belief in magical summers was renewed. The past three months have been nothing short of amazing. I got to see old friends, go to the beach, do a lot of reading and writing, and, best of all, I got to be a camp counselor. I knew that was going to be fun, but it turned out to be absolutely amazing. In fact, I would list it among the top three best experiences of my two-decade-long life.

And so, summer is no longer just a bridge between adventures. The bridge WAS an adventure, and I loved every minute of it. Now, I've stepped off the bridge, and with one last glance over my shoulder, I'm about to explore the land beyond.

Tomorrow, I go back to college. I don't know exactly what to expect this year, but if it's anything like this summer, I know it's going to be fantastic.